


You Were My First

by swanqueenfic13



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Red Beauty - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-11 14:50:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5630497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swanqueenfic13/pseuds/swanqueenfic13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You’re famous and just got asked if you were ever in love, and this should be good- WAIT WHAT” au</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Were My First

Ruby grinned. She loved watching Belle squirm.

She and Belle had been best friends for years, ever since childhood, really. Now, twenty four and out of college, they were living together in a little apartment just outside of New York City. They had graduated from NYU together, but while Ruby had taken a job as a deputy- in- training with the local sheriff’s department in hopes of becoming a New York City detective, Belle had achieved her dream. She even achieved her dream ahead of schedule.

Belle had always wanted to be a writer. Her first book was published the summer after she graduated high school. It had been a breakout hit, a retelling of classic fairytales in which all of the stories took place in one universe. Her story  _ Once Upon a Time _ had garnered hundreds of thousands of fans, and had publishers clamoring to print more of her works. Over the next six years, she had published 18 novels, all romance novels, or fantasy. Now, she was on a national morning talk show, discussing her life, and her stories.

“So, Belle, in your first story,  _ Once Upon a Time _ , you wrote about the character Belle from  _ Beauty and the Beast. _ Did you find yourself connecting to the character?” the hostess, a short blonde woman with a loud voice, and big smiles for Belle.

“Oh, of course,” Belle grins. “Always have. I mean, the name? Come on, it was meant to be.”

“And the whole book thing,” the hostess adds, laughing.

“And the book thing,” Belle agrees, nodding. She shifts in her chair and looks off to Ruby, standing behind the camera.

“So, we had a little online poll set up over the last week. We asked our viewers, and your fans, of course, what they wanted to ask you,” the hostess grins.

“Uh oh,” Belle chuckles. Ruby snickers, having read some of Belle’s fan mail (yes, she gets fan mail, fan emails, fan videos, the whole deal), and knowing what Belle’s readers want to know. Also, she had sent in some questions to the poll, so she was curious to see if hers would be answered.

“Something you afraid of sharing?” she teases. Belle just shakes her head. “Alright. First question: where do you draw your inspiration from for your stories?” Belle smiles, and Ruby just rolls her eyes. Typical soft ball question. They continue warming her up with questions on her technique, her goals, and attempts at getting her to reveal future story plots.

“Alright, it’s time for our last question. You have written so many romance novels. So many stories of contemporary love, and these epic, fantasy romances. We have to ask. Have you ever been in love?” Ruby perks up, curious. Belle had certainly dated over the years, but never stuck with anyone for more than four months. On camera, Belle is blushing. 

“You know, one of the first things they tell you when you’re writing is to write what you know,” Belle says softly. The microphone man fiddles around with his controls to get a better sound. Ruby steps closer, and someone has to push her back to remind her to stay out of the shot. “And I’ve been writing about love for as long as I can remember.”

“So you have been in love?” she asks, to clarify. Belle’s blush deepens.

“Yes,” she admits. “Yes. I am. In love.” Ruby chokes on her water. Someone pats her back as she clears her throat. Belle shoots her a look.

“Okay, now we have to ask. For those of you who are watching at home, Belle’s best friend just about choked on her water hearing Belle is currently in love. So, a secret lover? Who is it? Tell us about this person!”  _ Yes, Belle. Tell us about this person _ , Ruby thinks to herself. As far as she knew, Belle’s last date was six months ago, and it had been a dud.

“I’ve only been in love once. And it is the best thing. This person is… She’s wonderful. She’s funny, and she’s strong. She works hard, and she cares deeply about everyone.” Ruby sighs. Hearing Belle speak is so soothing, like a lullaby. And she wasn’t surprised that Belle was talking about a woman. Belle had come out as bisexual around the same time her first book started getting popular. But Ruby had known as soon as Belle knew, when they were just little freshmen, and Belle didn’t understand why she thought about Anne Hathaway just as much as she did Ryan Gosling.

“No details, name, anything?” the TV hostess prompts.

“I would but… I haven’t told her yet. See, I’ve been in love with her since before I knew what love was. She’s… everything to me. And I haven’t told her. She’s my person, the person I’d trust with my life, the person I’d ask to help me cover up a murder, and the person I’d trust with anything in between.” Ruby cocks her head to the side. Who the hell was Belle talking about? “But I guess it’s now or never, right? I’ve started the conversation. Can’t close the floodgates now. So, I know you’re watching this because I can see you.” Ruby’s stomach drops. She couldn’t mean…? “I’m in love with my best friend, Ruby Lucas. And I wouldn’t call her the beast to my beauty, mostly because that’s incredibly rude to call her a beast, and vain to call myself a beauty, but we are a tale as old as time.”

“Oh, now Belle, I wish we had more time to get her reaction, but we have to go to commercial! Maybe you’ll tell your fans what happens next at a later date,” she says, cutting off the show. Belle stands, walking towards Ruby, who is frozen, one hand on her stomach, the other covering her mouth.

“Hi,” Belle whispers. Both girls are too focused on each other to notice the crew members all recording the exchange, likely to be put on their website later today.

“Hi,” Ruby squeaks.

“Didn’t mean to ambush you like that, but-”

“I love you,” Ruby interrupts, her hand flying off of her mouth, like the words had physically, and violently shoved themselves out. She straightens up and steps forward, putting her hands on Belle’s shoulders. “I. Love. You,” she repeats, softer, more controlled. But just as passionate. And then, like the climax in one of Belle’s books, both girls lean in. Belle is the one to close the distance, and then there is no space between them.

When they break apart, they notice the group around them, watching and recording. Ruby fidgets under the scrutiny and Belle throws her head back laughing. She loves watching Ruby squirm.


End file.
